Fastener for envelopes



(No Model.)

G. W. MoGILL.

PASTBNER FOR ENVELOPES.

No. 414,072. Patented Oct. 29, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE \V. MCGILL, OF RIVERDALE, NEIV YORK.

FASTEN ER FOR ENVELOPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,072, dated October 29, 1889.

Application filed June 22, 1889- Serial No. 315,175- (No model.)

To [0% whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, GEORGE IV. MCGILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverdale, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fa steners for Envelopes and for other Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

It is usual to transmit many articles-such as samples-40y mail in unsealed envelopes or similar wrappers, and it is desirable to provide means whereby the closingflap of the wrapper can be confined in its closed position for transportation by a device that permits it to be easily released for inspecting the inclosure and then conveniently reclosed and secured.

This invention has for its object to provide novel, simple, and efficient means for accomplishing the purposes mentioned, and which is also adapted to be otherwise used'for example, to fasten or secure together two different sets of papers or documents so that one set can be conveniently removed Without manipulating that part of the device which confines or holds the other set.

The object of my invention I accomplish by the features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a blank to form the fastener. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the completed fastener; Fig. 3, a transverse sectional view of the same, and Fig. at a sectional elevation showing the fastener applied to secure two articles or difierent sets of papers.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, where the blank is shown in Fig. 1, and is longitudinally slitted, as at 1 1, leaving a joining-neck 2 and constituting two members 3 and I. To form the fastener, this blank is folded upon itself longitudinally along its median line, and the extremities of the two members 3 and 4: then bent laterally in opposite directions at right angles to the head to form two pairs of prongs 5 and 6, the pair 5 extending from the duplex head'in one direction and the pair 6 from such head in the opposite direction. The prongs may all be of the same length, or one pair may be longer than the other pair, and their free ends are preferably pointed to facilitate their passage through paper and other material.

By the construction described the fastener comprises a duplex head, or a head of two thicknesses or superposed layers, and four prongs arranged at right angles to such head, with the pairs projecting, respectively, in opposite directions.

The fastener may be used by passing a pair of the prongs through one thickness or set of papers, as at 7, Fig. 4, and the other pair of prongs through another thickness or set of papers, as at 8, the prongs being bent and clinched down in either direction.

The fasteners are each made from a single piece of material, and I prefer to stamp the blanks from any kind of sheet metal that will permit a blank to be readily bent into the shape described and enable the prongs to be easily bent down to secure the papers.

The device is more especially designed as a clasp for securing the closing-fiaps of envelopes or other wrappers and binding together different sets of papers; but I do not confine myself thereto, in that the fastener can be used for various purposes.

It will be seen that the duplex head is of a length coextensive with the spread of each pair of prongs, and that such head constitutes an abutment to bear against the paper or other material parallel to the surface thereof, such abutment thus limiting the insertion of the prongs into the respective pieces of paper or other material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-= The duplex fastener herein described, having two pairs of vertical prongs extending, respectively, from the opposite ends of a head composed of a strip of metal folded into two superposed layers, said head adapted to rest upon and parallel to the surface of the paper or other material to be secured and In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig constituting a limiting-abutment to the pasnature in presence of two Witnesses. sage of both pairs of prongs laterally through 1 the paper or other material, each pair. of GEORGE MCGILL' 5 prongs adapted to be folded down, respect- Witnesses: I

ively, in planes parallel With the fastener- THOs. L. SOOVILL, head, substantially as shown and specified. E. A. S. BARKELEW. 

